For the first time, Colorado is spelling out exactly what 12th-graders should know before heading to college or entering the workforce.

The state school board and the higher education commission approved new standards Tuesday intended to align high school instruction with the business world, vocational-tech schools and universities.

The move was part of a three-year overhaul of education in Colorado that will include a new testing system, possibly even doing away with the Colorado Student Assessment Program in favor of end-of-course exams.

Gov. Bill Ritter called the new requirements bold and “completely unprecedented.”

“The educational life of a child in Colorado is a continuum,” said Ritter, who pledged when he took office in 2007 to cut the state’s dropout rate in half within 10 years.

Colorado is the first state in the country to define college and workforce readiness, the governor’s office said. In December, state education leaders approved curriculum standards to smooth the transition from preschool to kindergarten.

By the end of the year, the State Board of Education is expected to adopt more specific course-by-course curricula. Each grade will have detailed standards — such as learning the ABCs in preschool to mastering logarithms in Algebra II, said Matt Gianneschi, Ritter’s education policy adviser.

In 2010, state education leaders plan to remake assessment tests so they evaluate student knowledge of the standards. The goal is to make the new exams relevant to college admissions counselors.

In 2011, the state intends to change its diplomas — with students being eligible for an “honors diploma” indicating they took rigorous college-prep courses.

Colorado first created content standards in 1993 but had not updated them since. And the standards covered only third through 10th grades, meaning there were none regarding what a preschooler should learn or what a 12th-grader must know to graduate.

Education Commissioner Dwight Jones and David Skaggs, executive director of the Department of Higher Education, said the collaboration between the state school board and the higher education commission was unprecedented for Colorado.

The new standards arose from meetings in 13 communities across the state with input from business owners, parents, teachers and students.

Educators, college professors and lawmakers from both parties have praised the standards, a list of “know ledge, skills and behaviors” essential for high school graduation. Many, though, said the harder work — putting the new standards in the classroom — is only beginning.

The state must provide funding for teacher training and guidance to make the plan work, said Jane Urschel of the Colorado Association of School Boards.

Jennifer Brown is an investigative reporter for The Denver Post, where she has worked since 2005. She has written about the child welfare system, mental health, education and politics. She previously worked for The Associated Press, The Tyler Morning Telegraph in Texas, and the Hungry Horse News in Montana.

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